While casually scrolling Facebook (for the hundredth time that day), I noticed a meme about looking like a busted can of biscuits when it comes time to go back to work, to go to the beach, go outside, etc. The comments underneath talked about how “disgusting” people would look going out to these activities and how this pandemic was good for forcing yourself to diet. I was struck with a wave of sadness.

In a nondescript, red-brick building off Chambers Street, less than a quarter-mile from FitzRandolph Gate, the Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO) oversees a staggering $26.1 billion—the largest per-student endowment of any college in the United States.

During these unprecedented times, many people want to help the world get through the pandemic. Recently, I realized that in addition to social distancing, I can do something else — volunteer for vaccine human challenge trials. Challenge trials will speed up vaccine development and save lives.

Fifty years ago tonight, more than 2,500 students and faculty thronged into the Chapel, enraged by President Richard Nixon’s 9 p.m. announcement that U.S. troops had deployed to Cambodia. By the time a bomb threat forced them to evacuate two hours later, those present had voted to “strike immediately against all academic and social functions of the university.”

Let us review, for a moment, the lauded financial privileges of this university. It has an endowment carefully built over centuries, valued at $26.1 billion as of last year. That works out to $3.1 million per student — by far the highest rate in the country. Compare that to Yale’s endowment-to-student ratio of “only” $2.3 million, or even to wealthier institutions like Harvard and Stanford, which trail at a distant $1.6 million per student each.

The University established the Princeton University Relief Fund on Wednesday to help advance the efforts of local community organizations focused on alleviating pressures caused by COVID-19. $1 million has already been committed to the fund, with half of that amount already allocated to two local non-profits.

Living in a pandemic leaves you with little to do to keep yourself entertained. To help combat impending boredom, Prospect has launched a series in which our Staff recommend content and creative outlets to keep you occupied while you’re stuck in your home. This week, our writers and editors watched some hilarious and heartwarming movies to round off the final week of classes. Here are the films that we recommend you watch during quarantine.

In a time of plague, Sir Isaac Newton developed his theory of gravity; in quarantine, Shakespeare wrote ‘King Lear.’ Six weeks ago, the COVID-19 pandemic sent Princeton’s undergraduates off-campus and back home. With the cancellation of club activities, campus jobs, and projects, Dylan Fox ’22 said to The Daily Princetonian, “Everything that gave our lives meaning is essentially gone.” So like Shakespeare and like Newton, Princeton students stuck at home have searched for ways as entertaining — if not quite as groundbreaking — to pass their time.

In a recent column, Kate Lee ’23 rightly suggests that we as individuals should do everything in our power to protect ourselves collectively from the pandemic that has thrown an entire globe off-kilter. Centering her analysis on the United States, she advocates for a moral reset of sorts, in which we evolve beyond the narrowness of American individualism. She urges that a communal, utilitarian mentality should take the place of mere, unenlightened self-interest. From the outset, this is a commendable sentiment.

After four years of writing an ersatz advice column for The Daily Princetonian, I am writing what is likely my last column, reflecting on the wisdom I’ve gained over my time at the University. Looking through my columns is much like reading a diary: I get to see all the things that have bothered, uplifted, and saddened me at Princeton. During sophomore year, I wrote what I believe to be my most poignant column about dealing with depression, and a year later I came to the conclusion that it was okay to be single — all on the pages of the ‘Prince.’ It’s been a pleasure and a joy to hear from people who felt I had voiced their feelings in my columns, and I’m sad to see that experience come to a close.

On Monday, April 27, a faculty meeting approved a one-year extension of the tenure clock for assistant professors, according to Deputy University Spokesperson Mike Hotchkiss in an email to The Daily Princetonian.

Since being sent home in March, I, like many of my peers, have had a lot of time to reflect on what it means to be a student in a time like this. Although it might seem contradictory to the stay-at-home orders at first, for those of us with the privilege and comfort of safe environments, now is our time to get involved. We came to Princeton to become leaders in our fields and serve the world — a pandemic isn’t the time to forget that mission, but rather the time to get to work. I’d like to think that this is the situation Sonia Sotomayor ’76 had in mind when she proposed the amendment of our school’s motto to “In the Nation’s Service and the Service of Humanity.”

When I cast my vote in the Colorado Democratic primary on Super Tuesday, there was one thing on my mind about which candidate I should support. It wasn’t about immigration, abortion, or student loans, even though those are extremely important topics in American society. I was most worried about something that hasn’t been put on the radar of most voting Americans: rural Internet access.

With the economy teetering in uncertainty, the art world has come to a standstill. Cinemas, museums, and performing arts theaters have closed their doors indefinitely, putting thousands of artists out of commission and compromising the important arts institutions that we recognize as cultural pillars. While older, more established institutions may survive the crisis, buoyed by a strong support network, many younger, smaller institutions will suffer. In my home state, the Oregon Symphony had to lay off their musicians, conductors, and several staff members in an effort to avoid total collapse. During the days that followed the announcement, posts and comments choked with anguish flooded my Facebook feed as Oregonians and musicians mourned together in solidarity.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on Tuesday that former University President Shirley Tilghman will co-chair a commission on the timing and process of the state’s recovery following the COVID-19 shutdown. The newly established group will work closely with Murphy’s administration.